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Hastings family deeds
(1100-1600)John Harley of the Historical Manuscripts Commission was invited by Reginald Rawdon Hastings to examine his family's extensive archives at the Manor House, Ashby de la Zouche, in Leicestershire. Harley produced a detailed calendar, of which is the first volume, published in 1928, Hastings himself having since died, and Harley having been killed at Gallipoli. This volume covers four categories of the records: the Ancient Deeds; Manorial and other Documents; Accounts and Inventories; and Miscellaneous Papers. Most, but not all, of the material is mediaeval. About half of the deeds relate to the family property in Leicestershire; then there are sections for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, London, Wiltshire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, &c. The manorial section includes a partitions of the estates of the Earls of Leicester and Wilton about 1204 and 1277; manor court rolls are mentioned, but not extracted. Choicer items from the family accounts and inventories are copied in extenso for 1596 and 1607, and thereafter summarised. Most of the later material is merely dipped into for curiosities.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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Lancashire and Cheshire Marriage Licences
(1624-1632)Licences for intended marriages in Chester archdeaconry, which covered Cheshire and Lancashire south of the Ribble (by far the most populous part of that county)

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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PCC Probates and Administrations
(1632)The Prerogative Court of Canterbury's main jurisdiction was central and southern England and Wales, as well as over sailors &c dying abroad: these brief abstracts, compiled under the title "Year Books of Probates", and printed in 1902, usually give address, date of probate and name of executor or administrator. They are based on the Probate Act Books, cross-checked with the original wills, from which additional details are, occasionally, added. The original spelling of surnames was retained, but christian and place names have been modernised where necessary.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £2.00.

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PCC Probates and Administrations
(1647)The Prerogative Court of Canterbury's main jurisdiction was central and southern England and Wales, as well as over sailors &c dying abroad: these brief abstracts, compiled under the title "Year Books of Probates", and printed in 1906, usually give address, date of probate and name of executor or administrator. They are based on the Probate Act Books, cross-checked with the original wills, from which additional details are, occasionally, added. The original spelling of surnames was retained, but christian and place names have been modernised where necessary.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £2.00.

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PCC Probates and Administrations
(1648)The Prerogative Court of Canterbury's main jurisdiction was central and southern England and Wales, as well as over sailors &c dying abroad: these brief abstracts, compiled under the title "Year Books of Probates", and printed in 1906, usually give address, date of probate and name of executor or administrator. They are based on the Probate Act Books, cross-checked with the original wills, from which additional details are, occasionally, added. The original spelling of surnames was retained, but christian and place names have been modernised where necessary.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £2.00.

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Hertfordshire Sessions
(1619-1657)Incidents from the Hertfordshire Sessions Books and Sessions Minute Books. These cover a wide range of criminal and civil business for the county.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills: Leicestershire: Strays
(1658)William Brigg compiled abstracts of all the wills in Register "Wootton" of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The abstracts of those proved in 1658 were published by him in 1894. The court's main jurisdiction was central and southern England and Wales, as well as over sailors &c dying abroad. We have re-indexed the whole volume, county by county, for both testators and strays (legatees, witnesses and other persons mentioned in the abstracts).

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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London Marriage Allegations
(1611-1660)London, Essex and part of Hertfordshire lay within the diocese of London. In the later 17th century the individual archdeaconry courts issued marriage licences, but for this period the only surviving material is from the overarching London Consistory court. The main series of marriage allegations from the consistory court was extracted by Colonel Joseph Lemuel Chester, and the text was edited by George J. Armytage and published by the Harleian Society in 1887. A typical later entry will give date; name, address and occupation of groom; name, address and condition of his intended bride, and/or, where she is a spinster, her father's name, address and occupation. Lastly we have the name of the church where the wedding was going to take place. For the later years Colonel Chester merely picked out items that he thought were of interest, and his selections continue as late as 1828, but the bulk of the licences abstracted here are from the 17th century.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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Allegations for marriages in southern England
(1660-1669)The province or archbishopric of Canterbury covered all England and Wales except for the northern counties in the four dioceses of the archbishopric of York (York, Durham, Chester and Carlisle). Marriage licences were generally issued by the local dioceses, but above them was the jurisdiction of the archbishop, exercised through his vicar-general. Where the prospective bride and groom were from different dioceses it would be expected that they obtain a licence from the archbishop; in practice, the archbishop residing at Lambeth, and the actual offices of the province being in London, which was itself split into myriad ecclesiastical jurisdictions, and spilled into adjoining dioceses, this facility was particularly resorted to by couples from London and the home counties, although there are quite a few entries referring to parties from further afield. The abstracts of the allegations given here usually state name, address (street in London, or parish), age, and condition of bride and groom; and sometimes the name, address and occupation of the friend or relative filing the allegation. Where parental consent was necessary, a mother's or father's name may be given. The ages shown should be treated with caution; ages above 21 tended to be reduced, doubtless for cosmetic reasons; ages under 21 tended to be increased, particularly to avoid requiring parental consent; a simple statement 'aged 21' may merely mean 'of full age' and indicate any age from 21 upwards. These are merely allegations to obtain licences; although nearly all will have resulted in the issuing of the licence, many licences did not then result in marriage.

GOULDSMITH. Cost: £4.00.

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Allegations for marriages in southern England
(1660-1679)The province or archbishopric of Canterbury covered all England and Wales except for the northern counties in the four dioceses of the archbishopric of York (York, Durham, Chester and Carlisle). Marriage licences were generally issued by the local dioceses, but above them was the jurisdiction of the archbishop, exercised through his vicar-general. Where the prospective bride and groom were from different dioceses it would be expected that they obtain a licence from the archbishop; in practice, the archbishop residing at Lambeth, and the actual offices of the province being in London, which was itself split into myriad ecclesiastical jurisdictions, and spilled into adjoining dioceses, this facility was particularly resorted to by couples from London and the home counties, although there are quite a few entries referring to parties from further afield. The abstracts of the allegations given here usually state name, address (street in London, or parish), age, and condition of bride and groom; and sometimes the name, address and occupation of the friend or relative filing the allegation. Where parental consent was necessary, a mother's or father's name may be given. The ages shown should be treated with caution; ages above 21 tended to be reduced, doubtless for cosmetic reasons; ages under 21 tended to be increased, particularly to avoid requiring parental consent; a simple statement 'aged 21' may merely mean 'of full age' and indicate any age from 21 upwards. These are merely allegations to obtain licences; although nearly all will have resulted in the issuing of the licence, many licences did not then result in marriage. This index also includes marriage licence allegations for the jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 1558 to 1699.